Project Summary

Thirty years ago the autograph of the Evliya Chelebi’s travelogue (Seyahatname or Book of travels) was found. Evliya Chelebi is the most famous Ottoman traveller and writer and the worldwide cited Ottoman author. His Seyahatname in Ottoman was recently published in Istanbul in ten volumes. For Croatian history the volumes V, VI and partly VII have the paramount significence.A critical edition and translation of the autograph’ssections of the books V, VI and VII into Croatian language does not exist. HazimŠabanović made translation on the basis of a printed version from 1900 which was done upon an inaccurate, even censored copy. The translator himself had shortened the narrative in many places. Even a brief insight in original text shows dramatical differences and alterations in quantity of text (there is up to 35 percent more text in the autograph) and quality of informations (substantially new informations, thoroughly different from those in Šabanović’s translation). The aim of the project is to investigate this „missing link“ among the narrative sources for Croatian history in Early Modern Period, i.e. to scrutinize the autograph, to translate parts of the V, VI and VII book with commentaries and footnotes, and to produce supporting articles. A picture of Croatian societies in different political frames which is given in the Seyahatname has never been a subject of scholarly research. This would lead toward the comprehensive explanation and interpretation of early modern national integration, ecohistorical determinants, social and ethnoconfessional structures and processes. Such a project is expected to contribute substantially to filling the gaps in the historiography, to establish a more balanced perception of the past, along with the improvement of mutual understanding between Croatia and Turkey, with positive effect in the Southeastern Europe. Also, this project can significantly contribute to the revitalization of the Ottoman heritage in Croatia.